diff --git a/web/chat.html b/web/chat.html
index d0af6ea..ddce7e2 100644
--- a/web/chat.html
+++ b/web/chat.html
@@ -1747,9 +1747,9 @@ logLine('sys', 'chat content lives in encrypted SRTP audio. no IP packets carry
 })();
 </script>
 <footer style="max-width:820px;margin:2.2rem auto 0;font-size:0.65rem;color:#999;line-height:1.7;word-break:break-all;font-family:monospace">
-  <span style="color:#777">page integrity</span> &nbsp;·&nbsp; built <span class="stamp-date">2026-06-03</span><br>
-  md5 <span class="stamp-md5">15478b0cdc5ae94c6ddc9c625443058f</span><br>
-  sha256 <span class="stamp-sha">793f3811124cba596f54f48ae11fab805ecf670991669002542b8ee8fdefc6f6</span><br>
+  <span style="color:#777">page integrity</span> &nbsp;·&nbsp; built <span class="stamp-date">2026-06-04</span><br>
+  md5 <span class="stamp-md5">b7b1b1b9c612636a17adf94eca5835b5</span><br>
+  sha256 <span class="stamp-sha">7dff2ae15621b8c56d4c0c5a50afe5b3305317a161b281d66c2417c3b1cbf1a6</span><br>
   <span style="color:#bbb">hashes are of this page with these two fields zeroed — to verify, blank them and re-hash</span><br>
   <span style="color:#bbb">one self-contained file — <strong>save a copy</strong> and verify it against these hashes; point it at your own servers with ?signal= and ?turncred=, or <a href="host-your-own.html" style="color:#999">host your own community</a></span>
 </footer>
diff --git a/web/host-your-own.html b/web/host-your-own.html
index 9385b5c..4355e63 100644
--- a/web/host-your-own.html
+++ b/web/host-your-own.html
@@ -507,9 +507,9 @@ handle /zebra-spaces-sfu*    { reverse_proxy localhost:8092 { flush_interval -1
 </p>
 
 <footer style="max-width:820px;margin:2.2rem auto 0;font-size:0.65rem;color:#999;line-height:1.7;word-break:break-all;font-family:monospace">
-  <span style="color:#777">page integrity</span> &nbsp;·&nbsp; built <span class="stamp-date">2026-06-03</span><br>
-  md5 <span class="stamp-md5">24217bcab41f06970625faecdc0723e2</span><br>
-  sha256 <span class="stamp-sha">9dda09c0e6405bd71a611c12722235ba1188cd11679575763a3c67d708ff3cc5</span><br>
+  <span style="color:#777">page integrity</span> &nbsp;·&nbsp; built <span class="stamp-date">2026-06-04</span><br>
+  md5 <span class="stamp-md5">e4e8e782260db19486c05c042f4f1afc</span><br>
+  sha256 <span class="stamp-sha">0d6678f32e1c4dcc0dd3adcb052b4b0cc5dc86fb6f2dbc5c9c79775e3feb683e</span><br>
   <span style="color:#bbb">hashes are of this page with these two fields zeroed — to verify, blank them and re-hash</span><br>
   <span style="color:#bbb">one self-contained file — <strong>save a copy</strong> and verify it against these hashes; point it at your own servers with ?signal= and ?turncred=</span>
 </footer>
diff --git a/web/how-it-works.html b/web/how-it-works.html
index 83f40f4..d04e551 100644
--- a/web/how-it-works.html
+++ b/web/how-it-works.html
@@ -341,9 +341,9 @@ try {
 </p>
 
 <footer style="max-width:820px;margin:2.2rem auto 0;font-size:0.65rem;color:#999;line-height:1.7;word-break:break-all;font-family:monospace">
-  <span style="color:#777">page integrity</span> &nbsp;·&nbsp; built <span class="stamp-date">2026-06-03</span><br>
-  md5 <span class="stamp-md5">e84a8aec0fd1558d63501f776929d883</span><br>
-  sha256 <span class="stamp-sha">5d5258d99c37a5a8236bdb779971735f1c59d53ec0154e69dd406673f44c9a89</span><br>
+  <span style="color:#777">page integrity</span> &nbsp;·&nbsp; built <span class="stamp-date">2026-06-04</span><br>
+  md5 <span class="stamp-md5">9870bd4e4dae3439f3238f6c7bfbb0e1</span><br>
+  sha256 <span class="stamp-sha">7bf54074bc06b6a9378d75cfc678aadf626c2c2e921149db5610a7e0ed86ef6a</span><br>
   <span style="color:#bbb">hashes are of this page with these two fields zeroed — to verify, blank them and re-hash</span><br>
   <span style="color:#bbb">one self-contained file — <strong>save a copy</strong> and verify it against these hashes; point it at your own servers with ?signal= and ?turncred=, or <a href="host-your-own.html" style="color:#999">host your own community</a></span>
 </footer>
diff --git a/web/zebra-audio.html b/web/zebra-audio.html
index 64fe765..3acec16 100644
--- a/web/zebra-audio.html
+++ b/web/zebra-audio.html
@@ -747,9 +747,9 @@ else wirePuppet();
 </section>
 
 <footer style="max-width:560px;margin:2.2rem auto 0;font-size:0.65rem;color:#999;line-height:1.7;word-break:break-all;font-family:monospace">
-  <span id="pi-seal" style="color:#777;cursor:default;user-select:none" title="">page integrity</span> &nbsp;·&nbsp; built <span class="stamp-date">2026-06-03</span><br>
-  md5 <span class="stamp-md5">e9a723dc188a32c1cebccc01bdaa3191</span><br>
-  sha256 <span class="stamp-sha">822e6a4cba5887f70af6b8b4350bb87c5599292ff019f6f24f89672195a2725d</span><br>
+  <span id="pi-seal" style="color:#777;cursor:default;user-select:none" title="">page integrity</span> &nbsp;·&nbsp; built <span class="stamp-date">2026-06-04</span><br>
+  md5 <span class="stamp-md5">704bc6f8c294b01704add1b59ec23d69</span><br>
+  sha256 <span class="stamp-sha">06b739c56ebdfab90591ea4c5e8d8cb6b5cd854c02f526753f724857c518a64e</span><br>
   <span style="color:#bbb">hashes are of this page with these two fields zeroed — to verify, blank them and re-hash</span><br>
   <span style="color:#bbb">one self-contained file — <strong>save a copy</strong> and verify it against these hashes; point it at your own servers with ?signal= and ?turncred=, or <a href="host-your-own.html" style="color:#999">host your own community</a></span>
 </footer>
diff --git a/web/zebra-spaces.html b/web/zebra-spaces.html
index 760af78..f692ee6 100644
--- a/web/zebra-spaces.html
+++ b/web/zebra-spaces.html
@@ -1628,13 +1628,17 @@ function attachSfuTrack(uuid, stream){
   let a = remoteAudio.get(uuid);
   if (!a){
     a = document.createElement('audio'); a.autoplay = true;
+    /* always create muted=true so autoplay is universally allowed
+     * (muted autoplay is unconditional in all browsers). applyAudio-
+     * Mute() flips muted=false the moment we have a user gesture
+     * (btn-mute click) AND this peer's canonical path is 'rtc'. */
+    a.muted = true;
     document.body.appendChild(a); remoteAudio.set(uuid, a);
     applySinkTo(a);
   }
   a.srcObject = stream;
-  /* programmatic play in case autoplay policy needs the nudge after a track
-   * swap — caller already had a user gesture (entered the space) */
-  try { const p = a.play(); if (p && p.catch) p.catch(()=>{}); } catch(_){}
+  if (!audioPath.has(uuid)) audioPath.set(uuid, 'rtc');
+  applyAudioMute();
   stopMeter(uuid); startMeter(uuid, stream);
   logLine('', 'sfu: receiving '+((members.get(uuid)||{}).handle || uuid));
 }
@@ -3847,6 +3851,18 @@ function updateScreenShareUI(){
 function updateRoleUI(){
   $('sec-listener-actions').classList.toggle('hidden', myRole !== 'listener');
   updateScreenShareUI();
+  /* Listener mute-button repurposed as the audio-unlock gesture +
+   * local output toggle. Enabled regardless of micStream so a
+   * listener can tap it to provide the user gesture mobile browsers
+   * demand before unmuted audio is allowed. Speakers/cohosts/host
+   * still get the original self-mic-mute behavior (enabled by
+   * ensureMicAndUI once the mic is live). */
+  const btn = $('btn-mute');
+  if (myRole === 'listener'){
+    btn.disabled = false;
+    btn.textContent = listenerOutputMuted ? 'play' : 'mute';
+    btn.className = listenerOutputMuted ? '' : 'invert';
+  }
 }
 
 /* ==================================================================
@@ -4047,6 +4063,37 @@ function rankOf(role){ return {host:4, cohost:3, speaker:2, listener:1}[role] ||
  * by pubHex (not uuid) so it survives session-uuid churn on rejoin. */
 const streamMode = new Set();        // pubHex strings currently streaming
 const streamAudio = new Map();       // uuid -> <audio> pulling stream
+/* per-peer audio path: 'dj' = HTTP Ogg <audio> is the canonical
+ * playback, 'rtc' = the WebRTC remoteAudio element is. applyAudioMute()
+ * reads this to decide which side gets unmuted under the listener
+ * output-mute toggle. Updated by startStream / stopStream / muteWebRtc-
+ * OnPlay / stream-error fallback. */
+const audioPath = new Map();         // uuid -> 'dj' | 'rtc'
+/* Listener output-mute: the page starts every <audio> muted on
+ * mobile so autoplay is allowed (muted autoplay is universally
+ * permitted; unmuted is gated behind a user gesture on Firefox
+ * Android / iOS Safari). The btn-mute click — the user gesture —
+ * flips this to false and unmutes whichever path is canonical for
+ * each peer. Default true so a fresh listener tab sits silent
+ * until tapped. */
+let listenerOutputMuted = true;
+function applyAudioMute(){
+  const silenced = (myRole === 'listener' && listenerOutputMuted);
+  for (const [uuid, a] of remoteAudio){
+    const wantRtc = !silenced && audioPath.get(uuid) !== 'dj';
+    try {
+      a.muted = !wantRtc;
+      if (wantRtc) { const p = a.play(); if (p && p.catch) p.catch(()=>{}); }
+    } catch(_){}
+  }
+  for (const [uuid, a] of streamAudio){
+    const wantDj = !silenced && audioPath.get(uuid) === 'dj';
+    try {
+      a.muted = !wantDj;
+      if (wantDj) { const p = a.play(); if (p && p.catch) p.catch(()=>{}); }
+    } catch(_){}
+  }
+}
 function streamUrlFor(pubHex){
   return SFU_BASE + '/stream?room=' + encodeURIComponent(roomID) + '&pub=' + pubHex;
 }
@@ -4059,67 +4106,48 @@ function streamUrlFor(pubHex){
  * playback in many cases and (b) it added user-visible noise where
  * none should exist. */
 async function startStream(uuid, pubHex){
-  /* DON'T mute the WebRTC audio yet — if the fresh <audio>'s autoplay
-   * is blocked (common on mobile after the entry gesture's grace has
-   * passed) we'd be left with zero audio. Mute only after 'playing'
-   * fires so the WebRTC path stays as the live fallback. */
   const wantUrl = streamUrlFor(pubHex);
   let a = streamAudio.get(uuid);
-  /* Idempotent: a second toggle-on for the same pubHex while we're
-   * already loading/playing is a no-op. The previous behaviour reset
-   * .src which aborted the in-flight load — Firefox surfaces this as
-   * 'fetching process aborted at user's request' on the play()
-   * promise, which we then mistakenly logged as autoplay-blocked. */
+  /* Idempotent: second toggle-on for the same pubHex while we're
+   * already loading/playing is a no-op. Resetting .src abort the
+   * in-flight load — Firefox surfaces this as 'fetching aborted at
+   * user request' which we'd mistake for autoplay block. */
   if (a && a.src === wantUrl && !a.error) {
     return;
   }
   if (!a){
     a = document.createElement('audio');
     a.autoplay = true; a.controls = false;
-    /* preload=auto: encourage the browser to start buffering immediately
-     *   instead of waiting for play() — helps slow mobile links fill
-     *   the initial buffer before the user-gesture window expires.
-     * playsInline: tell Safari/iOS not to escalate audio playback into
-     *   a fullscreen player. No effect on Firefox/Chrome but cheap. */
     a.preload = 'auto'; a.playsInline = true;
+    /* start muted so autoplay is universally allowed (muted autoplay
+     * has no gesture requirement on any browser). applyAudioMute()
+     * unmutes the moment the user gesture lands (btn-mute click) AND
+     * this peer's canonical path is set to 'dj' by the 'playing'
+     * listener below. */
+    a.muted = true;
     document.body.appendChild(a);
     streamAudio.set(uuid, a);
-    /* setSinkId is async and can re-init the media pipeline. If we
-     * call it AFTER setting src + play(), the re-init aborts the load
-     * with the abort error fox saw. Await it FIRST, before any src
-     * assignment. Safe to await on browsers that don't support it —
-     * applySinkTo early-returns. */
     await applySinkTo(a);
   }
-  a.muted = false;
   a.src = wantUrl;
-  /* mute WebRTC the moment the HTTP stream actually plays a frame,
-   * not before. Removed on error / autoplay reject so WebRTC takes
-   * over again. NOTE: 'stalled' is NOT treated as a failure — it
-   * fires constantly during normal startup on mobile cellular and
-   * each fire was causing the audio path to flip-flop. Real failure
-   * shows up as 'error' or as a rejected play() promise. */
-  const muteWebRtcOnPlay = () => {
-    const w = remoteAudio.get(uuid);
-    if (w) try { w.muted = true; } catch(_){}
+  const onPlaying = () => {
+    audioPath.set(uuid, 'dj');
+    applyAudioMute();
+    logLine('', 'stream on for '+pubHex.slice(0,12)+' — DJ mode (~2s delay, glitch-free)');
   };
-  const unmuteWebRtcOnFail = (why) => {
-    const w = remoteAudio.get(uuid);
-    if (w) try { w.muted = false; } catch(_){}
+  const onFail = (why) => {
+    audioPath.set(uuid, 'rtc');
+    streamMode.delete(pubHex);   // allow next auto-enrol pass to retry
+    applyAudioMute();
     logLine('err', 'stream for '+pubHex.slice(0,12)+' '+why+' — staying on live WebRTC');
   };
-  a.addEventListener('playing', muteWebRtcOnPlay, { once: true });
-  a.addEventListener('error', () => unmuteWebRtcOnFail('error'), { once: true });
+  a.addEventListener('playing', onPlaying, { once: true });
+  a.addEventListener('error', () => onFail('error'), { once: true });
   try {
     const p = a.play();
-    if (p && p.then){
-      p.then(() => logLine('', 'stream on for '+pubHex.slice(0,12)+' — DJ mode (~2s delay, glitch-free)'))
-       .catch(e => unmuteWebRtcOnFail('autoplay blocked: '+e.message));
-    } else {
-      logLine('', 'stream on for '+pubHex.slice(0,12)+' — DJ mode (~2s delay, glitch-free)');
-    }
+    if (p && p.catch) p.catch(e => onFail('autoplay blocked: '+e.message));
   } catch(e){
-    unmuteWebRtcOnFail('play threw: '+e.message);
+    onFail('play threw: '+e.message);
   }
 }
 function stopStream(uuid){
@@ -4128,9 +4156,8 @@ function stopStream(uuid){
     try { a.pause(); } catch(_){}
     try { a.removeAttribute('src'); a.load(); } catch(_){}
   }
-  /* unmute the WebRTC mic so conversation resumes */
-  const w = remoteAudio.get(uuid);
-  if (w) try { w.muted = false; } catch(_){}
+  audioPath.set(uuid, 'rtc');
+  applyAudioMute();
 }
 function toggleStreamFor(uuid, pubHex){
   if (streamMode.has(pubHex)){
@@ -4586,6 +4613,19 @@ function applyMuteState(){
   if (mm){ mm.muted = muted; renderRoom(); }
 }
 $('btn-mute').addEventListener('click', () => {
+  /* listener path: toggle output mute. The click itself is the
+   * user gesture mobile browsers wait for — even if listenerOutput-
+   * Muted was already false, applyAudioMute() will re-call play()
+   * inside this gesture and unblock any audio element that's been
+   * waiting. */
+  if (myRole === 'listener'){
+    listenerOutputMuted = !listenerOutputMuted;
+    applyAudioMute();
+    const btn = $('btn-mute');
+    btn.textContent = listenerOutputMuted ? 'play' : 'mute';
+    btn.className = listenerOutputMuted ? '' : 'invert';
+    return;
+  }
   if (!micStream) return;
   muted = !muted;
   try { sessionStorage.setItem(MUTE_STATE_KEY, muted ? '1' : '0'); } catch(_){}
@@ -4821,8 +4861,8 @@ logLine('', 'ready — pick a handle, type a rendezvous code, enter the space');
 
 <footer style="margin:2.2rem auto 0;font-size:0.65rem;color:#999;line-height:1.7;word-break:break-all;font-family:monospace">
   <span id="pi-seal" style="color:#777;cursor:default;user-select:none" title="">page integrity</span> &nbsp;·&nbsp; built <span class="stamp-date">2026-06-04</span><br>
-  md5 <span class="stamp-md5">b8196a33fa6be70b8e72cd07172be78e</span><br>
-  sha256 <span class="stamp-sha">a9b3eba52dc56bad81abc32bcc36f51f5441a9b113dccc96d0f0e67f9fb3520c</span><br>
+  md5 <span class="stamp-md5">86588d00e3993870a95504ac16973b26</span><br>
+  sha256 <span class="stamp-sha">1e8dc752014189b0ba6e45bad1981950079700e3cf8da33f15560c006f4a314e</span><br>
   <span style="color:#bbb">hashes are of this page with these two fields zeroed — to verify, blank them and re-hash</span><br>
   <span style="color:#bbb">one self-contained file — <strong>save a copy</strong> and verify against these hashes; point at your own servers with ?signal= and ?turncred=, or <a href="host-your-own.html" style="color:#999">host your own community</a></span>
 </footer>